Local health care provider, ambulance service receive national honor

HUNTINGDON, Tenn. — An ambulance service company and health care corporation are recognized nationally for bringing better care to underserved areas.

When every second counts, Vice President of Priority Ambulance Eric Messer says quick and efficient health care is crucial.

“It gives them a sense of comfort that we are on our way, and help is coming,” Messer said.

That’s why Messer’s company started working with Baptist Memorial Health Care. Together, their partnership landed them a national award from the American Ambulance Association.

“Basically, it deals around our integration and our ability to move patients in a timely fashion,” Messer said.

The award was presented Sept. 7 in Las Vegas.

Baptist Carroll County CEO Susan Breeden says improvement in patient care is the overall goal.

“We’ve implemented a central dispatch center across our system, and it’s been great,” she said.

One of the new pieces of equipment installed are wireless routers, which give ambulance drivers step-by-step directions while communicating with dispatch.

Messer says his company has integrated nearly $60,000 of new equipment in ambulances like those at Baptist Carroll County.

Representatives with both companies say the new location of ambulance dispatch in Baptist’s Patient Placement Transfer Center also helps with response times.

Breeden says starting Oct. 1, Baptist will take over 911 service for all of Carroll County.